Rose – The Essence of Emotion

"A rose is a rose is a rose," said Gertrude Stein. William Wordsworth implored, "Change me, some God, into that breathing rose." And Sappho called rose the crowned king of flowers. Indeed, many poets and artists have been inspired by this lovely flower.The legends about rose span history. Some say rose was created from a drop of sweat falling from the brow of Mohammad. Others attribute its creation to Bacchus, who covered a thorny bush with perfumed red flowers to show his love for a beautiful nymph. Cleopatra bathed in rose water, while the Hindus use it to wash their altars.
Amongst all the scents used in perfumery, rose is one of the oldest and best known. Ancient references to rose distillation are found in books by Charak and Susruta (Ayurveda sanhita). And the Mughal Emperor Jahangir filled canals of his Palace Garden with distilled rose water, which was collected and called "Itr-e-Jahangiri."
There are more than 5,000 varieties of roses known to botanists. Only a few of them are fragrant and the fragrance varies according to the plant variety...